It’s Time to Work on the Inside

I love autumn. Except for the fact that it is followed by winter, it is my favorite time of year. Today it is beautiful — sunny and slightly cool, the perfect “No Hot Flashes” day. I raked leaves and cut back some perennials and didn’t have to go in to change out a soggy t-shirt for a dry one. Ahhhh, the simple pleasures! Anyway, I thinned out and replanted some Hosta and even edged the beds so they

will be easier to work with next spring. It looked nice and my back was aching (I know, I need core strengthening) so, I put away my garden tools and went inside to wash up.

With everything outside all tidy and neat, I sat down in my favorite chair with a nice hot cup of herbal tea feeling a great sense of accomplishment, like all-is-right in my little corner of the world. It feels so good, excluding my aching back, to look out the window and see all I had done outside. Then, I took a sweeping glance around the inside. Big mistake.

All I could see was everything inside that had been neglected all summer long. The curtains looked dingy, the lamp shade out of whack, the area rug all “pilly”, and my husband’s favorite chair looked so grimy I was embarrassed to think that anyone else may have seen it! All I could I compare it to was Marty’s chair on the TV show “Fraser”. Thank god my Big Guy didn’t use any duct tape on it yet, although it really could use some. It’s gonna be a fight, but that chair is going to the curb. I will win this one. I am getting older, but I am not ready for my house to look like an “Old Peoples” house. No offense intended, but some Seniors, not all, are happy with their old things, and are happy to live in disrepair and clutter. I am so not there.

Then I thought, Hey! What the heck happened to that wonderful feeling of accomplishment? I enjoyed a whole two minutes of self-satisfaction for all my hard work. I didn’t even finish one cup of tea before –POOF– my mental to-do list grew a hundred miles long and no longer was everything all-right in my little corner of the world. Poof, poof, and poof. That’s what happened.

So, I started a list (I have lists all over the place) and then I took my now iced tea to the den and fired up our laptop. Most of the house just needs some heavy duty cleaning and freshening up. Maybe a few new wall hangings to mix up with the old and some new area rugs. That wonky lamp has been a fixture in this house longer than me, it is time to replace it. (Sometimes I think it is time to replace me — I’ve been around a long time, too!)

Anywhoo, back to my research. I bookmarked a website last week that I wanted to revisit when I had the time. So, to kill two birds with one stone, I headed to DigThisDesign.net and found a couple perfect things for my house such as a pretty framed mirror for my hallway, and some cool paint ideas for my extra small rooms. Because I hadn’t a clue how to make them look nice and open, they have been neglected way too long. There are some amazing ideas in the Upcycled Decor, too. That was why I bookmarked the site, I wanted to see more of the upcycled ideas. You will enjoy seeing some of them, I’m sure. (Just don’t kill any more birds…)

Leave me a quick comment…I’d love to see what grabbed your attention. There is a lime green and white tiny room that jumped off the screen for me. I’m thinking the color would work well in the tiny half-bath off my mostly white kitchen — but is it too loud? Check it out here: Dig This Design – Make It Pop! Color Themes for Small Spaces and let me know what you think; I’ll watch for your comments before I head to the paint store.

Until then, enjoy these beautiful days of autumn and do something in your little corner of the world that will make you feel good. Just remember…drink your tea quickly!

Enjoying Life After the Big M,
Ann

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About Ann Sandretto: With over 10 years of research behind Hormones-Beauty-Health.com, Ann created alwaysnewyou.com. Ann’s mission is to inspire women to continuously reinvent and renew themselves by providing trusted information, expert advice and a community for supportive interaction. Together with her panel of expert contributors, she shares health and beauty tips with women navigating menopause.

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AlwaysNewYou is home of health and beauty information for the modern mature woman as she navigates menopause.
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